A fire which broke out at an Orange technical centre in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire has been deemed an act of professional “sabotage” by the operator group.
Mamadou Bamba, general director of Orange Cote d’Ivoire, said that an initial investigation indicated that the fire – which occurred in the early hours of 30th April – was an intentional attack on an Orange site. Bamba noted that a crucial cable had been cut and a ladder had been left at the crime scene, indicating that the supposed arsonist had some technical knowledge of the site.
“We have been victims of sabotage. This sabotage was perpetrated against our facilities”, said Bamba. “We have lodged a complaint with the public prosecutor and their service is at work to determine those responsible for this incident”.
The fire broke out in the Abidjan’s central Plateau district, at an international landing station for a submarine cable. Since the incident, services have been disrupted, with mobile networks, internet and landlines all unavailable in many areas of the country. Orange launched immediate repair efforts but full service will not be restored until 20th May, according to Bamba.
Orange is the leading operator in Cote d’Ivoire with over 13 million subscribers. It is in the process of implementing a $176M network upgrade in the market which is due for completion at the end of July.
